One Last Dig
by Monkey Ninja Naf S'netog
Summary: When the village's encounter with Pein goes wrong, Naruto is the only one left. He performs one final act for his fallen comrades, and for the one whom loved him most. Oneshot that deals with aspects of death and the eternal rest.


_Dig..._

_Dig..._

_Dig..._

Naruto gasped, shoving the spade into the dirt with the last bit of his energy, and fell to the dusty earth. His body was soaked from his efforts, his ragged pants, now closer to being considered shorts than pants, clung to him. He stared up at the cloudless sky, noting the bright orange orb glaring down at him. It was so blistering hot and, not for the first time, an ungodly heat wave coursed throughout his body, making Naruto gasp once more.

He had finally finished his duty. He had finally completed his requirement as a Leaf ninja. But _still_, something would not let him pass on.

"What do you want from me," Naruto breathed, his dusty throat hoarse.

"**To live**." A snarl emanated from inside the boy's head, invoking a dry laugh.

"There is no more reason to live." And there wasn't. Konohagakure was gone, along with everyone in it. A massive crater was all that was left of his home. He had grieved and he had mourned. He had cried and he had lashed out. There was nothing left inside him. All he wanted now was to die.

"**Then find a reason to live**." The growl was tough and unforgiving. But it was familiar, and Naruto was grateful for company. Any company.

And so Naruto dug inside himself, trying to find a reason to live.

_Dig..._

_Dig..._

_Dig..._

Nothing. Naruto sighed, his chest still heaving from the exhaustion, as well as deprivation of water and nutrients. Why should he continue to live, when everyone precious to him was gone? Sakura... Kakashi... Jiraiya... Tsunade. They were all gone. Forever. And with this new thought, a fresh ache blossomed in the poor boy's heart.

Hinata. How could he have never noticed her affection? How could he have been so blind to her love? She had been willing to die for him. And she had, like the rest of the village.

A wail of agony emitted from his parched mouth. His sunburned body was tender to the touch, yet he had worked for three days straight, burying all the dead by himself. At least, whatever he could find of the dead.

"No, there is _nothing_ left to live for." The statement came without emotion, only emphasis.

The blond teen heard a howl of fear from inside his head, and Naruto allowed himself a small chuckle. His dad said he'd find a way to make peace. Jiraiya said there would come a time when people understood each other. Now, Naruto knew he had failed to bring about peace or understanding.

"**Don't die on me, kid. I'm not ready to go yet! Just tear the seal away, and I will revenge your whole village!**"

Now Naruto knew the Kyuubi did harbor a fear. It was a fear of dying. It was such a fear that Naruto had never had a problem with. And revenge the whole village? That sounded tempting... But it was that same reason he had lost everything. Especially Hinata.

He could remember her trying to help him on the written exam during the Chuunin trials. He could remember her giving him a healing ointment, even after he had just destroyed Kiba's olfactory sense. Naruto chuckled at the memory, but it hurt all the more. His breathes were coming more sharply now, hurting him with every lungful.

He could still see her wonderfully filled out body from the day he first got back to the village after his nearly three year training. She had passed out. Naruto allowed himself a small smile at the thought of the heady rush she got just at seeing him.

He could remember every voluptuous aspect of her body now, and he shivered, despite the blazing heat, at the thought of what he had missed out on. He could now recall every word she had spoken to him, as well as how she had always referred to him as "Naruto-kun." She had been the cutest girl, whose innocence was only magnified by her kindness. And, at the peak of her womanhood, she had finally admitted her love to him. Then had been promptly removed from the realm of the living. This new memory ignited the festering rot that had slowly infested his heart, ripping it to pieces molecule by molecule.

He decided to dig a little deeper; to try to find meaning to his life.

_Dig..._

_Dig..._

_Dig..._

He decided Hinata must have wanted him to live, otherwise he would not be lying here at this moment, roasting in the early afternoon sun. But, really, he did not want to live any longer. And he was quite tired of digging; almost as tired as he was of living.

His life had not been a blessed one. Rather, it had been a life of hardship after hardship. He had overcome everything that this wretched world had thrown at him. He had thought he could handle anything. Death was a regular part of a ninja's life. He had grown used to that idea. But this was on a whole new level. This was a massacre. And he had no more right to be living than the smallest civilian child, or the oldest woman in the former village hidden in the leaves.

He allowed himself to muse on his baa-chan being the oldest woman in the village, just for old time's sake. But, as everything did now, it only brought him more sorrow.

Naruto now turned his thoughts to the people who lay below him; those who were now sleeping the Eternal Sleep. He had buried his most precious people here, and had brought the largest bit of stone to mark it. With a jutsu, he had carved the outline of his four most precious people. Standing on the very side of the carving, hand on her hip, was the Godaime Hokage, Senju Tsunade. Standing next to her was the late Hokage's apprentice, Haruno Sakura, striking a pose with a V for victory sign and a warm smile. Next to the Haruno was a long haired beauty, with downcast eyes and a small smile gracing the smooth-stoned face. Her index fingers pointed together, as Naruto had remembered her so well. Hyuuga Hinata. And next to her was Naruto's Jounin instructor, Hatake Kakashi. He held a book in his palm, and a lazy eye looked up, clearly revealing through it that there was a smile beneath that mask.

These four people were the most precious he had found out of the hordes of corpses. It seemed fitting that Naruto should die as close to them as possible, though he did not feel he deserved to be lying at their sides.

He decided to dig, one last time, just to take his mind off the pain. And so he did, scooping out his mental guts.

_Dig..._

_Dig..._

_Dig..._

He found nothing. He was now hollow of everything. His eyes rolled, and his body quaked. Gritting his teeth, Naruto waited for the final, for he knew it would be the last, heat wave to pass. And it did.

The sun baked the dried and cracked ground, as well as his dried and cracked self.

And it seemed his brain was frying, too, because he could now hear a voice calling out to him. He rather liked the thought of his brain frying. It only meant his end was to come all the sooner.

"Naruto-kun..." The voice beckoned, and Naruto began to listen. The haze of the heat wafted above the boy, and it formed a shape. First, an ethereal hand formed, outstretched, as if wanting him to grasp it. Then, an arm appeared. A full, transparent image of a body emerged from nowhere and smiled at him. Long dark hair flowed behind the figure, as well as a lock coming down either side of the beautiful face. Pupil-less orbs, of a lavender hue, graced him with their gaze. Soft, full lips parted as they spoke his name once more. He closed his eyes and savored the voice.

"Hello, Hinata-chan." The rasp of his voice made him feel ashamed, for he wanted to appear strong before her.

"Naruto-kun, you've tried so hard... You deserve a rest. A break from this rotten world." Her voice was as soft as silk, and Naruto could feel her melodious words embrace him; make him feel sleepy.

"Yes, Hinata-chan. I'm so... tired." He didn't think he could open his eyes again, but he forced himself to, just to see her once more. She now kneeled beside him, and took his head into her lap. She stroked his cheek with her cool hand, and with each stroke, Naruto felt that much more relaxed and at ease. He could hear a snarl calling from somewhere to resist, but Naruto paid it no heed.

"Sleep, my dearest one. We are all waiting for you. Your battle is over, Naruto-kun." And now Naruto could see them. All of his friends and fellow ninja, as well as his mom and dad, smiling proudly down at their son. Naruto, forcing himself to stay awake just a bit longer, grasped Hinata's hands in his own and gave her a look filled with all the emotion he had bottled up since he was a young boy.

"If there was anyone I could have loved and lived happily with, Hinata-chan, it would be you." His voice cracked, and a single tear of the last bit of moisture his body could exhaust trickled down his cheek as his eyes closed.

Hinata kissed the tear away and whispered into his ear, "Sleep."

And so he did, his digging finished.

_Dig..._

_Dug..._

_Done..._


End file.
